Goyang Master Bongseongamjeonseongneung Stupa

Goyang Bongseongam Temple is one of twelve temples founded in the late Joseon period to house monk-soldiers organised to manage and guard Bukhansanseong Fortress. The stupa of the great master traditionally identified as Seongneung stands to the west of Bongseongam, at the end of a ridge descending from Bukhansan Mountain, where a stone retaining wall was built to create a level platform before construction. The present site appears to be the original one; the stupa is said to have collapsed under bombing during the Korean War and to have been restored in the 1960s. Part of the roof stone (the stone laid like a roof over a stone pagoda or lantern) is damaged, but overall the state of preservation is good. The base stone was assembled from four square slabs. The lower pedestal stone is square, with its corners rounded into curves, and a circular ridge is set on its upper surface to support the middle pedestal stone, showing decorative skill. The middle pedestal stone is shaped like a flattened, rounded ball, bulging in the centre. The upper pedestal stone has a two-tiered angular base at the bottom and an octagonal ridge on its upper surface, on which the body stone rests. The body stone is fashioned as a plain octagonal pillar, without special surface decoration. The roof stone was made to evoke the roof of a wooden building, with a supporting tier beneath it. The eaves are slightly upturned, giving a light, buoyant impression, and are carved with a bracken-frond pattern for decorative effect. The finial is finished with a jewel-shaped ornament set above a wheel-shaped ornament. The use of members in a variety of cross-sections—square, circular and octagonal—is also a distinctive feature. This stupa carries the typical style that had been in use since the Silla period, showing that a skilled master craftsman was sent to design and build it, and its considerable size shows that it belonged to an eminent monk. Bongseongam was where Great Master Seongneung, who came from Hwaeomsa Temple in Gurye, resided as Paldo Dochongseop (Supreme Commander of Monk Soldiers of the Eight Provinces) and led the construction of Bukhansanseong Fortress. It therefore appears that the subject of this stupa is Great Master Seongneung, and the stupa is notable for its use of members in a variety of shapes—square, circular and octagonal.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산